Involvement of nitric oxide, but not prostaglandins, in the vascular sympathoinhibitory effects of losartan in the pithed spontaneously hypertensive rat

Sympatho-inhibitory actions of irbesartan in pithed spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats

Angiotensin II (Ang II) can enhance sympathetic neurotransmission by acting on (AT1) receptors that are located on sympathetic nerve terminals. We investigated presynaptic blockade by the selective AT1-receptor antagonist irbesartan in pithed spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). We compared the presynaptic inhibitory dose with that required for the blockade of AT1-receptors on vascular smooth muscle in both strains. To investigate blockade of presynaptic AT1-receptors, we studied the effect of irbesartan on the sequelae of electric stimulation of the thoraco-lumbar sympathetic outflow (0.25-8 Hz). To study the interaction between postsynaptic AT1-blockers and alpha-adrenoceptors, the effects of irbesartan on pressor responses to exogenous noradrenaline (NA) were established. Additionally, we studied the effect of irbesartan on dose-response curves for the vasoconstriction induced by exogenous Ang II. Pressor responses to electrical stimulation of thoracolumbar sympathetic neurones, to exogenous Ang II, as well as to (NA) were enhanced in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with WKY. The stimulation-induced rise in DBP could be dose-dependently reduced by irbesartan (0.3-10 mg/kg) in both SHR and WKY. The pIC50 values (doses which suppress the rise in DBP by 50% compared with control) were 5.60 +/- 0.09 and 5.72 +/- 0.08 for SHR and WKY, respectively (P > 0.05). In SHR, no effect of irbesartan (3 mg/kg) on pressor responses to exogenous NA was observed. In contrast, in WKY, irbesartan (3 mg/kg) caused a rightward shift of the dose-response curve to exogenous NA. Irbesartan (0.3-3 mg/kg) caused a depression of E(max) values and a rightward shift of the dose-response curves to exogenous Ang II in a similar fashion in both SHR and WKY. From these results we conclude that both in SHR and in WKY, Ang II exerts a facilitatory effect on sympathetic neurotransmission, which is mediated by prejunctional AT1-receptors in both strains. Irbesartan displays comparable sympatho-inhibitory potency in the normotensive and hypertensive pithed rat preparations. A facilitatory effect via postsynaptically located AT1-receptors on alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated responses exists in WKY, but not in SHR. In both strains the required dose to inhibit presynaptic effects is somewhat higher than the dose required to inhibit postsynaptic effects. No differences, therefore, seem to exist between the two strains regarding the affinity of irbesartan for pre- and postjunctional AT1-receptors, respectively.

The pressor effect of NO synthase inhibition correlates to pre-existing systolic BP in the rat

A number of studies have found that the vasopressor effect of nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition is small following treatment with hypotensive agents but is enhanced after hypertensive agents, and have implicated NO in the mechanism of action of these drugs. We investigated the hypothesis that the rate of vascular NO synthesis is directly related to blood pressure. The vasopressor effect of 10 mg/kg of L-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) was studied in relation to changes in BP induced by a variety of treatments in both pentobarbital sodium anesthetized and pithed rats. BP reductions were induced by blood withdrawal, surgery and pithing. BP increases were made by injecting 10 and 15 microg/kg boluses of phenylephrine or by injecting 5% albumin solution. Pithing decreased baseline BP and attenuated the vasopressor effect of L-NAME while phenylephrine increased both BP levels and the hypertensive effect of L-NAME. Volume expansion with 5% albumin solution increased both BP and the vasopressor effect of L-NAME. Both surgery (abdominal incision) and withdrawal of 1 ml blood reduced BP and attenuated the pressor effect of L-NAME. When the results of all these studies were combined, systolic BP was found to correlate strongly with the vasopressor effect of L-NAME (R2 = 0.73, P < 0.0001). Diastolic BP correlated less well with L-NAME (R2 = 0.36, P < 0.0003). The results suggest that shear stress generated by blood flow during the systole releases NO, and lowers BP. The pressor effect of NO synthase inhibition is closely related to pre-existing systolic BP.

Chronic administration of losartan plus hydrochlorothiazide improves vascular status in young cardiomyopathic hamsters

The combination of an angiotensin II receptor antagonist and a thiazide has been used extensively in the treatment of patients with overt heart failure. The effect of this combination on the vascular wall early in the disease, however, has not been investigated. To evaluate this effect, the vascular status of 3-month-old cardiomyopathic hamsters was assessed after daily administration of a combination of losartan (25 mg/kg, p.o.) and hydrochlorothiazide (6.5 mg/kg, p.o.) over an 8-week period. Age-matched golden hamsters were used as healthy controls. The contractile response of aortic rings to endothelin-1 was significantly higher in cardiomyopathic hamsters than in control animals. Concentration-response curves for the endothelin-1-induced contraction were displaced to the right after hydrochlorothiazide+losartan treatment (toward the curves for healthy controls); however, E(max) from treated hamsters was significantly reduced when compared to E(max) from untreated cardiomyopathic animals (1.016+/-0.073 vs. 1.346+/-0.153 g, P<0.05, n=6). No significant differences in the EC50 values from these curves were observed between hydrochlorothiazide+losartan treated and untreated cardiomyopathic animals (2.90+/-0.95 vs. 1.10+/-0.85 nM, P>0.05). The acetylcholine-induced relaxation observed in cardiomyopathic animals was not improved after treatment with hydrochlorothiazide+losartan or hydrochlorothiazide alone, but the combination of these drugs increased significantly the basal production of nitric oxide (NO). Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity increased in plasma (from 29.9+/-1.23 to 41.16+/-1.82 nmol x mg(-1) x min(-1), n=8, P<0.05) but decreased in the aorta (from 0.33+/-0.02 to 0.25+/-0.017 nmol x mg(-1) x min(-1), n=6, P<0.05) after treatment with hydrochlorothiazide+losartan. In addition, the combination of these drugs reduced the heart-to-body mass ratio (3.96+/-0.07 for treated vs. 5.01+/-0.20 mg/g for untreated animals, n=7, P<0.05), and the thickness of the aortic media (0.076+/-0.003 for treated vs. 0.149+/-0.009 mm for untreated animals, n=8, P<0.05). Although hydrochlorothiazide alone lowered systolic blood pressure to the same level achieved with both drugs in combination (from 166+/-10 for untreated cardiomyopathic animals to 84+/-1 mm Hg for hydrochlorothiazide+losartan, and 80+/-5 mm Hg for hydrochlorothiazide alone, P<0.05), no significant reduction in heart-to-body mass ratio was observed in animals treated with the diuretic alone (P>0.05). In conclusion, in this model of heart failure, chronic hydrochlorothiazide+losartan administration normalizes the vascular responses to endothelin-1, improves basal vascular tone, and prevents the development of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy.

Quantitative changes in pharmacodynamic parameters of noradrenaline in different rat aorta preparations: influence of endogenous EDRF

1. The aim of the present study was to assess the role of endothelial cells in the modulation of vasocontractile responses to noradrenaline in rat isolated aorta when cut as standard helical strips or as ring segments. 2. Noradrenaline-potency in helical strip preparations evaluated as -logEC50 was greater than that obtained in endothelium-intact ring preparations (9.45 +/- 0.28 versus 8.69 +/- 0.09, respectively) (P < 0.05). The maximum contractile response of helical strips was significantly higher than the response of ring preparations (P < 0.05). 3. Subsequent experiments were performed on helical strips and ring preparations where the endothelium was removed by rubbing the luminal surface of the aorta with filter paper. Removal of the endothelium potentiated the noradrenaline-induced contraction in ring preparations, but not in the helical strips. 4. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitors L-NAME (3 x 10(-5)-3 x 10(-4) M) or L-NNA (1 x 10(4)-3 x 10(-4) M) which were added to the tissue bath potentiated the noradrenaline-induced contraction in the endothelium-intact ring preparations, although only L-NNA induced a statistically significant potentiation. Both L-NAME and L-NNA had no effect on the noradrenaline-contraction induced in rings without endothelium, or in helical strips with or without endothelium. 5. Vascular acetylcholine-induced relaxation is dependent on endothelium derived relaxing factor (nitric oxide). Acetylcholine (10(-9)-10(-6) M) induced a concentration-dependent relaxation in noradrenaline preconstricted intact rings. The relaxant response was strongly reduced by L-NAME (3 x 10(-5)-1 x 10(-4) M). The relaxant response to acetylcholine was very weak in ring and helical strip preparations without endothelium, but also, surprisingly, in unrubbed standard helical strips. 6. The present results suggest that the endothelium of standard helical strip preparations may be greatly damaged, a view confirmed by morphological studies. The structural and functional damage of the endothelium induced very important changes in pharmacodynamic parameters such as in the potency and the maximal responses of vascular preparations to noradrenaline. Therefore, caution must be observed when the potency and intrinsic activity of agonists evaluated on different preparations are compared, even if these come from the same vascular segment.

Losartan and captopril follow different mechanisms to decrease pressor responses in the pithed rat

1. We investigated the effects of losartan and captopril on noradrenaline (NA) release and vascular reactivity to NA in the pithed rat. 2. The pressor responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation (SNS) before and after i.v. administration of captopril (1 mg/kg), losartan (1 and 10 mg/kg), sodium nitroprusside (SNP: 5 micrograms/kg per min), losartan (1 mg/kg)+captopril (1 mg/kg), captopril (1 mg/kg) + losartan (1 mg/kg) or the bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist HOE 140 (1 mg/kg)+captopril (1 mg/kg) were measured. Plasma NA concentrations were measured during 60 s SNS before and after losartan (1 mg/kg), captopril (1 mg/kg), SNP (5 micrograms/kg per min) or HOE 140 (1 mg/kg)+captopril (1 mg/kg). Pressor responses to exogenous NA were measured before and after administration of losartan (1 mg/kg), captopril (1 mg/kg), HOE 140 (1 mg/kg) + captopril (1 mg/kg) or the nitric oxide synthase (NO) inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 mg/kg) + captopril (1 mg/kg). 3. Captopril, losartan and SNP decreased frequency-response curves to a similar extent. The captopril-induced decrease in pressor responses to SNS was restored by pretreatment with HOE140. Adding captopril to losartan decreased the curve more than did adding losartan to captoprill. Both losartan, captopril and HOE 140 + captopril significantly decreased the plasma NA concentration after SNS (34.1 +/- 5.0, 27.4 +/- 2.6 and 41.4 +/- 8.1%, respectively). Sodium nitroprusside did not change the plasma NA concentration after SNS (3.8 +/- 28.2%). The dose-response curves to i.v. NA were not affected by losartan, but were significantly decreased by captopril. However, responses to NA that were reduced by captopril were restored to control values by pretreatment with HOE 140 or L-NAME. 4. We suggest that both losartan and captopril decrease pressor responses to SNS by inhibiting NA release from sympathetic nerve endings; however, captopril also decreases 'vascular reactivity' to NA, which is mediated by nitric oxide produced by activation of the bradykinin B2 receptors.